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Sen. McCaskill Addresses Flood Relief

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ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) - Sen. Claire McCaskill is meeting today with an Army Corps of Engineers leader to address flood relief efforts along the Missouri River.

McCaskill will meet with Brigadier General McMahon, commander of the northwest division of the Army Corps of Engineers. McCaskill said she wants to be sure that water releases in Northwestern Missouri are not decided upon based on protection for recreational water use.

“If we are not making the right decisions upriver to protect people downriver, that needs to be addressed,” McCaskill said.

She also said she is going to determine the timing of water releases and the reasons for decisions regarding that timing. McCaskill said the Army Corps faces a daunting task in managing Missouri River flooding.

“They’re trying to manage record flooding up and down the river, and they have to look at the entire river system,” McCaskill said. “But, I want to make sure that their priorities are in the right place. I want to make sure that those priorities are not being distorted by considerations other than protection of life and property.”